European journal of pain : EJP
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Although the modified Stroop paradigm is considered to be a prominent paradigm for investigating selective attention in emotional disorders, relatively few studies have applied this paradigm to examine selective attention in chronic pain patients. Moreover, the results from these studies are not robust. The purpose of this article is to review the evidence for attentional bias in chronic pain patients, by means of a meta-analysis. ⋯ Thus, the results from the present meta-analysis on studies applying the modified Stroop paradigm suggest that chronic pain patients selectively attend to both pain sensory and pain affective stimuli. Furthermore, the MD estimation did not depend on the methodological quality, tentatively indicating that even though studies differed in methodology, the results were rather consistent. Implications of the results are discussed.
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The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of experimental pain intensity in the local and referred pain area on somatosensory perception thresholds in the area of referred pain. Pain was induced by intramuscular electrical stimulation of the left infraspinatus muscle in 12 healthy individuals. The stimulation corresponded to the local pain threshold ("mild local pain"), the referred pain threshold ("mild referred pain"), and a pain intensity corresponding to 2 on a 10-point category scale in the referred pain area ("moderate referred pain"). ⋯ Compared to baseline, PPTs increased bilaterally during stimulation corresponding to "mild local pain" and "mild referred pain", respectively, and a further increase was seen during "moderate referred pain". The decreased sensitivity to innocuous cold, warmth, and pressure pain was bilateral, indicating activation of endogenous net inhibitory mechanisms interacting bilaterally. We found no influence of pain intensity on somatosensory thresholds restricted to the referred pain area and light touch was the only affected modality in the referred pain area only.
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The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of the rate of temperature increase on the intensity of the evoked pain before and after hyperalgesia induced by topical capsaicin. Further, hyperalgesia to suprathreshold heat stimuli was investigated. Thirteen healthy volunteers were included in the experiment. ⋯ Increased ratings were found for all three heating rates in the secondary hyperalgesic area. There were no heat hyperalgesia in the control arm. In conclusion, hyperalgesia to suprathreshold heat stimuli was observed in the secondary hyperalgesic area and C-fibres play an important role in the primary hyperalgesia to heat.
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Pain has become the most common accompanying symptom in patients seeking medical advice, and it is one of the main issues in public health. In Spain, there are no reliable data about the impact of pain in general population. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of acute and chronic pain in the Spanish general population. ⋯ Regarding treatment, 61.7% of people complaining of pain said they were taking drugs. Source of drug treatment advice was a physician or a nurse in 66.4% of cases and self-prescription in 29%. It is concluded that pain, particularly chronic pain, has a high prevalence in the Spanish general population and a significant impact on occupational and social relationships.